Service provider (SP) networks typically provide networking services to customers via provider edge (PE) routers, which connect to Customer Edge (CE) devices, e.g., CE routers. Typically a service provider will have a plurality of PE routers, each of which includes a plurality of router network interface cards (NIC) which include ports that provide connectivity to the CE routers. Enterprise customers are able to connect to different services (e.g., Internet, IP-VPN, MPLS, ATM, etc.) through these ports on the PE routers.
Factors that affect such connections include the distance between the PE and the CE routers, the type of connection and bandwidth associated with it, the type of service being provided, and capacity.
When an order for a new customer connection is placed, the SP needs to assign a NIC on a PE router to the connection. The simplest assignment technique is to assign all compatible connections to a NIC until it is at maximum capacity, and then start assigning further connections to the next NIC, etc.
However, this is not a very efficient technique as this leads to under utilization of some NIC and excess loads on others. Another problem with such a technique is that it may cause a potential single point of failure for a group of customer connections. This is particularly problematic when a customer adds a series of connections at once, for example when a new CE router is being implemented. In this case, all of the connections from a CE can lead to a single PE router, or even to a single NIC. If a particular enterprise customer has all of their sites connected to a single NIC and that NIC fails, then all of the customer's connections will be affected. If the customer is using VoIP (voice over internet protocol) for its telephone calls, then such a NIC failure can lead to a customer losing all communication capability.
It is known to load balance by assigning connections to underutilized NIC. For example, various prior art tools can load balance by assigning the currently least utilized NIC for each new order in order to balance the load on each NIC. In a traditional load balancing approach to assigning PE router NICs, the NICs are assigned based on NIC utilization. This does not take into account who the customer is and whether or not the customer has other ports or NICs assigned to him either at the same or another location.
However load balancing based solely on the current utilization of NICs does not remove the potential for a single point of failure for a group of customer connections. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved tool which reduces the likelihood of a single point of failure for a group of customer connections. Furthermore, with developments in voice-over-IP and data technologies, more and more of customer traffic will traverse data networks. Accordingly, service providers will need to ensure that customer's access connections are stable. Accordingly, there is a need for an inventory and assignment tool which properly manages and load balances access connections for enterprise customers, and in particular multi-site customers.